A 15-year-old boy from Northern Ireland was recently arrested by the police. The arrest was in connection to the cyber-attack that stole more than 4 million customer data from British broadband service provider TalkTalk.
The cyber-attack which took place on Oct. 21 has led the public to suspect that TalkTalk provides less secure protocols in guarding its customers' personal information. An allegation denied by the company. The attack also opened the debate for greater regulation regarding how companies and public institutions should manage and protect sensitive personal information.
According to Reuters, the arrested suspect will be held on suspicion of violating the Computer Misuse Act. The London Metropolitan Police cyber-crime unit is the one heading the investigation. The arrested boy is currently in customer of the County Antrim police station.
A spokesperson from TalkTalk said that the police has already informed the company about the arrest. The company also released a statement saying, "We are grateful for the swift response and hard work of the police. We will continue to assist in the ongoing investigation/"
TalkTalk has already hired the services for defence company BAE Systems in order to help determine the exact extent of the attack.
Following the hack of TalkTalk's database, company shares fell be over 12 percent. The company reported that it has lost more than 360 million pounds in market values after the news about the hack broke out.
According to The Guardian, United Kingdom's minister of culture Ed Vaizey addressed the House of Commons that an inquiry will be launched in order to investigate the TalkTalk hack.